Editing History of Liberia (section)

===Coup d’état; relations with U.S.===
[[Samuel Doe|Samuel Kanyon Doe]] (1951–1990) was a member of the [[Krahn people|Krahn]], a small ethnic group. He was a master sergeant in the Liberian army, and had trained with the [[U.S. Army Special Forces]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=Heads of States and Governments Since 1945|last=Harris|first=Lentz|publisher=Routledge|year=2013|isbn=978-1884964442|location=New York|pages=516}}</ref> On April 12, 1980, Doe [[1980 Liberian coup d'état|led a bloody coup d'état]] against president [[William R. Tolbert, Jr.|Tolbert]], in which Tolbert and twenty-six of his supporters were murdered. Ten days later, thirteen of Tolbert's Cabinet members were executed publicly. This ended the 133 years of [[Americo-Liberian]] political domination. Doe formed a military regime known as the [[People's Redemption Council]] (PRC). Many welcomed Doe's takeover, since the majority of the population had always been excluded from power. The PRC also for the time being tolerated a relatively free press.

Doe quickly established good relations with the United States, especially after 1981, when U.S. President [[Ronald Reagan]] took office. Reagan more than tripled Liberia's financial aid, from $20 million in 1979 to $75 million per year. This soon rose to $95 million per annum. Liberia again became an important [[Cold War]] ally of the United States. Liberia protected important U.S. facilities and investments in Africa, and countered the threatened spread of Soviet influence in the continent. Doe closed the [[Libya]]n mission in Monrovia and severed diplomatic relations with the [[Soviet Union]]. He agreed to modify the mutual defense pact with the U.S., allowing the U.S. staging rights at 24 hours notice to use Liberia's harbors and airports for the [[United States Rapid Deployment Forces|U.S. Rapid Deployment Forces]].
Under Doe, Liberian ports were opened to American, Canadian, and European merchant ships, which brought in considerable foreign investment from shipping firms and earned Liberia a reputation as a [[tax haven]].